eChapters

Mango (Mangifera indica L), the king of fruits, is cultivated throughout a wide range of frost-free climates (Litz 1998). It is commercially the most important fruit crop of India, accounting for more than 54% of the total mango production worldwide. The fruit of mango (Mangifera indica L.) is exceptional for its juicy, succulent, thick fruit pulp and nutrient abundance in terms of wide range of amino acids, sugars, organic acids, minerals including Ca, P, Fe, and K and vitamins. Out of several diseases which attack mango crop, mango malformation disease is a serious threat to its cultivation since it causes gross deformation of the vegetative and floral tissues (Ploetz et al., 2002; Kumar et al., 2011). Floral malformation is a major problem in mango, rendering mango cultivation unproductive in northern India and other regions of the world (Pandey et al., 1977; Ram, 1991).

Introduction

Vast proportions of the population of the world are dependent on plants as their principal source of food either directly or indirectly. Recent decades have also seen increased numbers of people turning to alternative medical therapy based upon traditional folk medicine or food as a form of medicine. These alternative therapies emphasise the importance of a ‘good diet’ in maintaining and restoring health. Under these circumstances, vast majority of population may see diet therapy, dietary supplements and non-invasive alternative therapies as a safer, less technological and more natural way of maintaining health and treating and preventing individuals from illness. These alternatives may be seen as empowering the consumer and shifting the locus of control away from the medical establishment. This chapter covers many crucial topics to understand the chemistry and bioactivity of the active compounds of plant origin. It also aims to cover the latest research on the bioactive compounds.

G    :    Gibbs free energy OR Guanine.

G proteins    :    G proteins are intracellular proteins that bind GTP and convert it to GDP in the process of cell signal transduction. There are two kinds of G protein, the heterotrimeric (α,β, γ) receptor-associated G proteins, and the small G proteins, such as Ras and Raf, that act downstream of many transmembrane signaling events.

K    :    Kilo (10³g).

K    :    Potassium.

KA    :    Ketoacidosis.

Karlvon Baer    :    Person who‚ in 1828‚ published on the developmental stages in mammalian eggs and showed that an undifferentiated‚ single-celled egg grows into a many-celled embryo.

MOLECULAR BREEDING

Molecular breeding is the application of molecular biology tools, often in plant breeding.

Genetic markers

Genetic marker is defined as a gene whose phenotypic expression is usually easily discerned, used to identify an individual or a cell that carries it, or as a probe to mark a nucleus, chromosomes or locus (King and Stansfield, 1990). Three broad classes of genetic markers are morphological markers, biochemical markers and DNA or molecular markers.
 
(1) Morphological markers

Morphological markers are based on the visually assessable traits viz., morphological and agronomic traits. However, they are limited in number.

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) is a member of the family Caryophyllaceae. Dianthus word was first coined by Theophrastus from Greek word “dios” meaning divine and “anthos” meaning flower. It is a half hardy, perennial plant, propagated commercially by terminal cuttings. It is being produced as a cut flower in the world. Carnation cut flower trade contributed about 15% of the world flower market. Till now, new carnation varieties have been produced mainly through conventional breeding method. The breeding procedure typically consists of hybridization, self-pollination and selection (Holly and Baker, 1992). The breeding programme did not get enough momentum due to heterozygosity, limited gene pool and inadequate knowledge of genetic make up. However genetic engineering and molecular breeding have opened the way to achieve novel colour and good vase life of flowers.

Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.) belongs to family Iridaceae and subfamily Ixioideae. Gladiolus is a Latin word, the diminutive of “gladius” meaning sword, sometimes called as sword lily. The plant is herbaceous perennial and semi-hardy. It is commonly grown from rounded, symmetrical corm, which is enveloped in several layers of brownish, fibrous tunics. The cultivated gladiolus is a complex assemblage of cultivars originating from complex ancestry of natural selection or hybridization involving several species. Modern garden gladiolus is a complex of at least twelve species (Raghava, 2000). It is an important commercial cut flower in both domestic and international markets.

Modern rose (Rosa × hybrida) belongs to family Rosaceae. Rose is derived from Greek word “Rhedon” means fragrance. From the ancient time its beauty and attractiveness drag the attention of breeders to create new colours and types. Present cut roses are complex hybrids developed through interspecific hybridization, polyploidy with male and female sterility and these heterozygous genotypes are propagated vegetatively. Rose occupies the first rank among the cut flowers in international market and in India it occupied first position in cut flower export trade.

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum Mill.), belonging to family Primulaceae, is cultivated throughout the Temperate Zone. Many people have enjoyed the charming plants as potted and/or garden plants. The cyclamen is one of the most famous and important commercial ornamental plants in many countries. It is commonly grown for its flowers, both outdoors and indoors in pots. It is used on a terrace, in flower boxes, in hanging baskets or in beddings. Several species, particularly Cyclamen hederifolium, are hardy and can be grown outdoors in mild climates such as Northwest Europe and the Pacific Northwest of North America. The cyclamen commonly sold by florists is C. persicum, which is frost-tender. Selected cyclamen cultivars can have white, bright pink, red or purple flowers. The use as cut flower is not important part of cyclamen production (Grey-Wilson, 2002), but not rare in Europe, especially in Germany. Some cultivars for cut flower production were bred in Europe, but cut flower cyclamen production is not popular in USA and Japan. Its popularity as pot plant led to many studies on the group, including cytology (Bennett and Grimshaw, 1991), hybridization (Gielly et al., 2001 and Grey-Wilson, 2002) and phenology (Debussche et al., 2004).

Since floricultural and ornamental crops are grown for aesthetic purpose and are non-edible there is likely to be less concern in bio safety issues compared to other food crops. Hence there is considerable potential for developing transgenics in ornamental crops. Advances in transgenic technology provide new opportunities for manipulation of the genome. These will have significant impact on expanding and diversifying the gene pool of crop plants, introducing specific genes and shortening the time required for the production of new varieties or hybrids. Molecular breeding is beneficial to increase the production and quality by creating plants with enhanced resistance to diseases, insects or viruses and increased tolerance to environmental stresses like salinity, temperature or drought. Through this technique genes for shelf life, flower colour and architecture may be directly transferred to develop new varieties that are tailor made to customer preferences. Bioluminescent orchids and blue roses are the significant outcomes of the genetic transformation studies in ornamentals (Swarnapiria, 2009).

Abstract

Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) have emerged as potential tools for competent planning and administration of water resources. In this study, a new methodology is proposed to delineate groundwater target zones using integrated RS, GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The developed methodology is confirmed by a case study in Karur district of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Seven thematic layers, viz., Lithology, Lineament Density, Geomorphology, Slope, Post– Monsoon Water Level, Drainage Density and Land use / Land cover were considered in this study. Selected seven thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on the Saaty’s scale according to their virtual significance in groundwater incidence. The assigned weights of the thematic layers and their features were then normalized by using AHP. Finally, the selected seven thematic maps were incorporated by weighted linear combination method in a GIS environment to produce a groundwater target map.

Dragon fruit, commonly known as pitaya/pitahya (Hylocereus sp.) is a  climbing perennial cacti belonging to the Cactaceae family and the subfamily Cactoidea of the tribe Cactea (Raveh et al., 1993). It is a perennial climbing cactus plant native to tropical areas of North, Central and South America. Main countries growing dragon fruit are Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Thailand and Taiwan. Cultivation also occurs in Australia, Israel and Reunion Island. The European Union and Asia, especially China are the largest import markets of dragon fruits (Vinas et al., 2012).

Introduction

Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are the group of most primitive prokaryotes that have been observed in proterozoic era. Many Proterozoic oil deposits are attributed to the activity of Cyanobacteria, such as Gloeocapsomorpha. Small concentrically layered structures called pisolites are also the result of fossilized bacteria.

Introduction

Bioremediation can be defined as elimination, attenuation or transformation of polluting or contaminating substances by the use of biological processes, to minimize the risk to human health and the environment. Bioremediation of contaminated soil and water uses microbes (e.g. bacteria and fungi) to convert pollutants to harmless or more environmentally acceptable products and minimizes the risk to human health in a natural or managed process.

Introduction

The word mycotoxin is derived from myco, meaning mold and toxin, a poison. A great number of mold metabolites have been identified as mycotoxins. Thus mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites (i.e., metabolites not essential to the normal growth and reproduction of the fungus) which cause pathologic, physiologic, and/or biochemical lesions in other species (may include animals, plants, other microbes, etc.).

Pulses are important crops in the State of Jammu and Kashmir as they are the only source of protein, an essential part of the vegetative diet. Besides that, pulses enrich the soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen in the root nodules and improve the soil structure (Thakur et al., 2009). The tap root system explores the deeper soil strata and heavy leaf litter increases the soil organic matter. Pulses in J& K state are ideal crops for mixed and inter-cropping as well as vegetable and fodder crops. It has been estimated that by 2020 the pulse requirement for Jammu region of J&K alone will be 1.51 lakh tonnes (based on average per capita consumption of 68 grams for the projected population of 60.75 lakh) whereas the estimated requirement of J&K state as a whole works out to be 3.85 lakh tonnes (Digest of Statistics 2008-09).

Abstract

Climate change is a matter of great concern considering aquatic resources and the productivity. The likely impact of Climate Change is noted in the domain both in marine as well as estuarine capture fisheries, fresh water capture fisheries and freshwater aquaculture. Climate change is having a linkage with spread of fish diseases as increasing water temperature will shift the balance in favor of either the host or pathogen changing the frequency and distribution of diseases. There are a no of adaptation and mitigation measures in aquaculture in order to increase the productivity and properly maintain the survivability of many aquaculture species.

We mean sustainable of agriculture as preservation of productivity of land for a long period. This requires deviation from present methods of cultivation. The deviation needs knowledge about ecological process. At present we mean agriculture in association with terms like, high-tech, bio-tech and info-tech. Our traditional farming system or conventional farming system essentially means sustainable agriculture.

Process of life of an organism is defined, driven and depicted by its genetic constitution, or the genome. A genome is a collection of genetic material present in the cell as nuclear or organelle DNA. To be precise, it is the sum of all single copy genetic materials present in the cellular subcompartments. Thus a diploid organism having two copies of each chromosome contains genetic material constituting two copies of the genome, while a gamete of the same organism contains single copy of the same. Organelle genome is shared by chloroplast and mitochondria. In these two organelle genetic material is present in single copy per organelle, although many copies of organelle ensures that a cell harbours many copies of mitochondrial or plastid genome. Unraveling the structure and function of the genome is, therefore, the central objective of biological science. Technologies that would help to understand the basis of genetic, biochemical and physiological processes are pivotal to execute the knowledge for the betterment of mankind and environment.

Introduction

Rapeseed-mustard is attacked by more than 43 insect species. Out of which, mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach); mustard sawfly, Athalia proxima (Klug); painted bug, Bagrada hilaris (Burnmerister); pea leaf miner, Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau) and Bihar hairy caterpillar, Spilarctia obliqua (Walker) are of major importance. Other pests are of sporadic occurrence. Status of important insect pests attacking rapseed mustard in India have been given in detail by Bakhetia and Arora (1993) and Singh 2005. The occurrence of various insect pests on rapeseed-mustard is stage-specific. This has been a gift provided by nature to help avoid inter-competition among them for their fullest exploitation of the host. The insect pests attacking rapeseed- mustard as given in Table 1 and at various stages of the crop in Table 2.

Introduction

Many insets inhabit the soil and participate in different activities which will result in changes in soil physico-chemical properties. Thus soil is a very good habitat for some insects. Several insects spend either complete or few stages of their life cycle in soil. Soil provides protection from predators for many soil dwelling insects especially in immature stages. Few insects also undergo diapauses in soil. Soil insects include phytophagous, scavengers, predators and parasites. Among these, soil macro fauna especially termites and white grubs are very important pests of many crops and their activity also brings many changes in soil ecosystem.

Termites

Termites (Order: Isoptera) are eusocial, polymorphic and live in small to large colonies. The colony consists of different castes viz., functional reproductive (queen and king), sterile workers and soldiers, which are morphologically distinct.  The tasks of the latter two castes include foraging, nest building and care of eggs and young ones and defense. All species maintain symbiotic relationships with microorganisms, which aid in digestion. Few species build the often-spectacular mounds or arboreal nests and others build subterranean nests. They constitute important group of soil fauna and play a major role in the arid and semiarid tropics. Worker castes are dominant and are responsible for major functions in the colony. During the process of food collection, the workers generally attack the plants that are weakened due to some internal growth factors or environmental causes such as drought or poor soil conditions (Roonwal, 1978).

1. Herbs and Spices
       
    1.    International Standards Organization (ISO) defines spices and condiments as: Vegetable products or mixtures thereof, free from extraneous matter, used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foods.

    2.    Rosengarten describes a spice as a product which enriches or alters the quality of a thing, for example altering the taste of a food to give it zest or pungency; a piquant or lasting flavouring; or a relish. The term ‘spice’ is thus used to cover the use of spices, herbs and certain aromatic vegetables to impart odour and flavour to foods.

    3.    Herbs may be defined as the dried leaves of aromatic plants used to impart flavour and odour to foods with, sometimes, the addition of colour. The leaves are commonly traded separately from the plant stems and leaf stalks.

A. Answer the following.

Q.1.     How lysozyme kills Gram + and Gram – bacteria ?
Ans.     Lysozyme kills Gram + bacteria by splitting cell wall proteoglycans and Gram – bacteria in conjunction with complement.

Q.2.     Describe the different forms of leprosy ?
Ans.     Leprosy occurs in two different forms (1) tuberculoid (2) lepromatous. Tuberculoid leprosy occurs in 80% cases. Tuberculoid leprosy patients mount a strong CMI response. These patients have few organisms in their tissues and therefore few lesions. The lesions are infiltrated with macrophages and patients show a positive delayed type hypersensitivity reaction to I/D

India has the highest livestock population in the world with 50% of the buffaloes and 20% of the world’s cattle population, most of which are milch cows and milch buffaloes. The dairy industry in our country is considered as one of the most successful development programmes in the post-Independence period. In the year 2006-07the total milk production in the country was over 94.6 million tonnes with a per capita availability of 229 gm. per day. The industry had been recording an annual growth of 4% during the period 1993-2005, which is almost 3 times the average growth rate of the dairy industry in the world. Milk processing in India is around 35%, of which the organized dairy industry account for 13% of the milk produced, while the rest of the milk is either consumed at farm level, or sold as fresh, non-pasteurized milk through unorganized channels. Dairy Cooperatives account for the major share of processed liquid milk marketed in the India. Milk is processed and marketed by 170 Milk Producers’ Cooperative Unions, which federate into 15 State Cooperative Milk Marketing Federations. Over the years, several brands have been created by cooperatives like Amul (GCMMF), Vijaya (AP), Verka (Punjab), Saras (Rajasthan). Nandini (Karnataka), Milma (Kerala) and Gokul (Kolhapur). Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the milk surplus states in India.

Most of the aquatic organisms spend much of their lives and energies for reproduction. The young ones mature, develop sperms or eggs, spawn, and then recover to repeat the breeding cycle that continues till their death. In a majority of fish species males and females are separate individuals, fertilization is external and large number of eggs are produced (on an annual basis, its fecundity) which develop, hatch and mostly grow without parental care. The sperm and eggs are usually produced in such quantities that they represent a large expenditure of energy. The spawning process may be preceded by migrations or nest building, and followed by care of the young. Thus the success of any fish is ultimately determined by the ability of its members to reproduce successfully in a fluctuating environment and thereby to maintain viable populations.  As each fish species occurs under an unique set of ecological conditions, it has an unique reproductive strategy with varied anatomical, physiological, behavioral and bioenergetics adaptations. Unlike the finfishes, in shellfishes sexes are separate. The shellfishes use various signals to attract the opposite sex.

Introduction

Nematodes are cosmopolitan and ubiquitous in occurrence. These have been reported in all kinds of ecological niche. Accordingly, different kinds of nematode fauna had evolved with distinct morphological features and physiological variability. However, development and perception keep changing with the ambient environment. Agriculture has progressed with leap and bounce as human being has managed this to its maximum utility. The fast changes in agriculture definitely influenced the ecological niche and affected the flora and fauna. Consequently, specific and unspecific kind of relation evolved between host and parasite. With the thumb rule of ecological balance or homeostasis. In the dynamic Mother Nature, multispecies heterogeneous complex is sustained and nature do not perpetuate homogeneity.

Introduction

Biological control of plant pathogens is currently accepted as a key practice in sustainable agriculture. Plant parasitic nematodes and mycorrhizal fungi are commonly found inhabiting the same soil and colonizing roots of their host plants. These two groups of microorganisms exert a characteristics, but opposite effect on plant health. The potential role of mycorrhizal fungi as biocontrol agent for the control of nematode plant diseases has recently received considerable attention. The literature on the various aspects of VAM research such as interaction of VAM- mycorrhizal fungi with nematode pathogens (Sikora, 1995, Pinochet et al. 1996), biotechnology and future of VAM commercialization (Wood and Cumming, 1992) and trends in mycorrhizal research (Sahay et al. 1998) has been reviewed. The damage due to nematodes diseases is generally decreased in mycorrhizal fungi has shown an antagonistic influence on the population of plant parasitic nematodes (Nagesh et al. 1999, Kantharaju et al.

Introduction

Plantation crops are high value commercial crops which are broadly classified as estate crops consisting of crops like tea, coffee and rubber and small holders plantation crops like coconut, cashew, arecanut, cocoa etc. Spices especially black pepper, cardamom, vanilla, tree spices like clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice are generally grown as mixed crops in perennial cropping systems. In India, plantation crops including spices are grown in an area of three million hectares and generate an annual income of more than Rs, 5,53,630 million. They are valued for multifarious uses to meet the human needs such as food, oil, industrial raw materials, beverages and confectionary items. Pests and diseases are the major limiting factors in increasing the productivity of these crops. Among the pests, nematodes have got a major role in devastating the pepper plantations by the involvement in slow wilt disease, nematode diseases of cardamom nurseries, root-knot nematode infestation in ginger, turmeric, clove, nutmeg, allspice, lesion nematode infestation in tea, coffee, etc.

Although the thriving dye industry in many countries throughout the world is now predominantly serviced by synthetic dyes, the knowledge of the plants used to produce natural dyes still survives among some dyers, who use plant dyes to some extent. Nonetheless this indigenous knowledge is rapidly being lost as increasingly less information is being passed on to succeeding generations. Thus several countries are taking steps to revitalize this natural dyes industry. In this article the history of natural dye plants is presented; several plants from selected countries, which are used in the dyeing process are documented, together with some general methods of dye production and fabric dyeing; pattern production and the chemical constituents of some of these plants. The potential for the sustainable utilization of this important ecofriendly renewable natural resource is discussed.

The pecan is one of the important nut crops of the world occupying fifth position among the tree nuts. It is one of the most valuable nuts and a gift of North America to the whole world. In USA, it is considered as “Queen of nuts” because of its value as wild and cultivated crop. Besides USA, pecan cultivation is being done in Australia, Canada, Egypt, India, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Turkey and South Africa. Pecan is under cultivation only for the last about 100 years but gained enormous popularity as compared to other nut fruits which are growing since time immemorial.

In India, pecan cultivation was introduced in  1935 at Government Fruit Farm, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. Some of the pecan plants also exist at Jardari orchard, Kandaghat, Distt. Solan and this plant material was probably introduced from California during 1950 by the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala. It’s introduction to Uttrakhand dates back to mid fifties when Dr. Boshisen, the founder of Vivekanand Laboratory planted a few saplings of pecan at Hawalbagh in Almora hills.

Aonla or Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is one of the most important traditional but underutilized fruits of Indian origin, having immense potentiality of cultivation on marginal and waste lands. It belongs to  family Euphorbiaceae and sub-family Phyllanthoidae. Aonla tree thrives well throughout the tropical and sub-tropical parts of India either found growing wild or cultivated. Aonla is a quite hardy, prolific bearer and highly remunerative even without much care. It can be grown easily on calcareous and slightly saline as well as alkaline soils where common fruit crops do not thrive.
 
Aonla is regarded as sacred by Hindus and has great mythological significance. According to Hindu mythology, one day meal is arranged beneath an aonla tree during Kartik (October) when trees are laden with fruits. Hindu religion also prescribes that ripe fruits of aonla be eaten for forty days after fast  to restore health and vitality known as Kaya Kalp (Benthal, 1946).

Seabuckthorn or Siberian pineapple or Leh Berry is an emerging new horticultural crop of temperate region in the world. In India, its importance was realized in 1992 when the author found its wild abundance in cold desert of Leh /Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir State and named it as Leh Berry. Perhaps Chinese were the first to use this plant as medicine even before 8th century. In traditional Chinese medicines, seabuckthorn products are used as health drinks, for cardiovascular and digestive diseases and ailments related to lungs and skin. Chinese Olympic athletes were served seabuckthorn based health drinks to improve their physical performance and endurance. Seabuckthorn figures in folklore medicines of China, Mongolia, Tibet, India ,Russia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ancient Greeks were taken by surprise before 12th century to find their horses, strong and energetic again with a shine on their hair, which were let loose to die a natural death. These horses used seabuckthorn wild growth as their fodder.

Plant diseases caused by variety of pathogens pose a serious challenge and economic threats to various agricultural crops all around the world. It has been evidenced that despite wide use of chemical pesticides in crop production, the losses due to pests and diseases are significant. Phytonematodes are one of the major groups of organisms that live in diverse habitat and continue to challenge variety of agricultural crops all around the world. Since early times the major agricultural crops have been plagued by these noxious nematodes that feed on various plant parts viz. roots, rhizome, sucker, tubers, seedlings, stem, leaves, buds, crowns and cause damage worth more than 100 billion dollars annually. The major crops severely affected by these pests are, vegetables, fruits, sugarcane, sugar beet, cotton, oil seed, pulses, tobacco, tea, coffee, cereals, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants.

Floriculture is increasingly regarded as a viable diversification from traditional field crops due to increased per unit returns and increasing habit of “saying it with flowers” during all the occasions. All over the world, the floriculture sector is experiencing rapid changes. Opening up to the world market in the WTO regime paving way to free movement of floricultural products world wide, globalization and its effect on income generation have all contributed to increase in per capita consumption of flowers in most countries. Noticeable feature of global floriculture is the development and expansion of floriculture in non traditional areas. Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Japan had strong tradition for growing and consumption of flowers. The concept of commercial floriculture was perpetuated across the world from those regions. Now production centers are developing in Latin America, Africa and also in Asia to meet the demand of consuming countries and also to expand domestic market, commensurate with improved economic conditions, These countries provide highly qualitative floricultural products with low cost price which is finding a favourable place in markets of Western Europe, America and Japan. Emergence of new production centers has made floriculture more competitive and this in turn is benefiting the ultimate consumers.

Digital image processing is the use of computer algorithms to perform image processing on digital images. As a subcategory or field of digital signal processing, digital image processing has many advantages over analog image processing. It allows a much wider range of algorithms to be applied to the input data and can avoid problems such as the buildup of noise and signal distortion during processing. Since images are defined over two dimensions (perhaps more) digital image processing may be modeled in the form of multidimensional systems. Introduction to image processing 
Image processing is a method to convert an image into digital form and perform some operations on it, in order to get an enhanced image or to extract some useful information from it. It is a type of signal dispensation in which input is image, like video frame or photograph and output may be image or characteristics associated with that image. Usually image processing system includes treating images as two dimensional signals while applying already set signal processing methods to them.
Image processing is a method to perform some operations on an image, in order to get an enhanced image or to extract some useful information from it. It is a type of signal processing in which input is an image and output may be image or characteristics/features associated with that image. Now-a-days, image processing is among rapidly growing technologies. It forms core research area within engineering and computer science disciplines too.

(I) Digestion of Feed

In feed, carbohydrate is the main nutritive substance which is in the form of insoluble large particles. For intestinal absorption by blood and lymph, it is necessary to be digested as small and simple particles. For example, carbohydrate found in the form of starch or glycogen is not absorbed as such and is only absorbed when it is converted into the simple soluble monosaccharide form. Similarly, proteins present in the feed are also not absorbed untill they are digested into simple forms of aminoacids (Fig. 27, Fig. 28, Fig. 29, Fig. 30). Piglets are exceptions, as the newly born piglets obtain colostrum from their mother. Colostrum is rich in gamma immunoglobulins. This immunoglobulin is abosrbed as such without digestion by pinocytosis. It gives immunity to save the new piglets from many diseases. For this reason, colostrum suckling is necessary for new piglets. The process of pinocytosis occur only few days after birth and it  stops after some time. Fat occurs in the form of triglycerides in the feed. For absorption of the fat, it is necessary to be converted into its simple forms such as glycerol, free fatty acids or in the form of monoglycerides.

INTRODUCTION

In arid and semi-arid regions of India, besides weather aberrations, diseases caused by certain soil-borne pathogens are responsible for low productivity of agricultural crops. In addition to losses caused in annual crops, occurrence of these diseases in forestry takes away a major share. Because of the requirement for free water, diseases of aerial plant parts are much less common than those involving roots when plants are grown in dry regions where humidities are low and rains are infrequent and/or of short durations. Under these conditions, pathogens like Macrophomina phaseolina, Ganoderma lucidum, Cylindrocarpon lichenicola, Neocosmospora vasinfectum, Sclrotium rolfii and species of Fusarium (F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. equiseti, etc.) cause root rots and wilts in many commercially valuable and perennial plants.
Certain agro-climatic factors are attributed for the development of few specific diseases caused by soil-borne plant pathogens. Low organic matter, small microbial population coupled with poor moisture retention capacity of soil favour survival and multiplication of soil-borne pathogens (Fig. 12.1).

MOLECULAR BREEDING

Molecular breeding is the application of molecular biology tools, often in plant breeding.

Genetic markers

Genetic marker is defined as a gene whose phenotypic expression is usually easily discerned, used to identify an individual or a cell that carries it, or as a probe to mark a nucleus, chromosomes or locus (King and Stansfield, 1990). Three broad classes of genetic markers are morphological markers, biochemical markers and DNA or molecular markers.

(1) Morphological markers

Morphological markers are based on the visually assessable traits viz., morphological and agronomic traits. However, they are limited in number.

Features of morphological markers

i.They are easy to identify, there is no need of any complex analysis. Trait of interest can be identified visually.

ii.Morphological markers are inherited qualitatively or quantitatively.

iii.Frequency of availability of morphological markers is less in number i.e., morphological markers may not be available for all the traits of interest.

iv.They are influenced by environment.

v.Since they are influenced by environment, they are unstable in inheritance.

vi.They are stage specific i.e., a particular marker will be useful to identify in a particular stage of plant and not any stage of the plant.

vii.They are influenced by genotype and developmental stages of the plant.

Besides drawbacks, the morphological markers are useful to the plant breeders for the selection purpose in certain situation.

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) is a member of the family Caryophyllaceae. Dianthus word was first coined by Theophrastus from Greek word “dios” meaning divine and “anthos” meaning flower. It is a half hardy, perennial plant, propagated commercially by terminal cuttings. It is being produced as a cut flower in the world. Carnation cut flower trade contributed about 15% of the world flower market. Till now, new carnation varieties have been produced mainly through conventional breeding method. The breeding procedure typically consists of hybridization, self-pollination and selection (Holly and Baker, 1992). The breeding programme did not get enough momentum due to heterozygosity, limited gene pool and inadequate knowledge of genetic make up. However genetic engineering and molecular breeding have opened the way to achieve novel colour and good vase life of flowers.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

It is native of Mediterranean region and its distribution is restricted to Greece, Italy, Sicily and Sardinia (Tutin et al., 1993). According to Pliny, the centre of origin of carnation is Spain. The generic name Dianthus comes from writing of the Theophrastus who lived about 300 BC; dios, divine and anthos, flower; the flower of the gods. The species name caryophyllus is coined from Greek word Caryon, nut and phyllon, leaf. Linnaeus chose the species name, caryophyllus, after the genus of clove, as the fragrance from carnation is reminiscent of clove. The common word carnation probably comes from a Greek word coronation because of its use as decorating the crowns of Greek athletes during ancient times. Carnation has been cultivated for over 2000 years and today commercial cultivation is the result of 200 years of improvement and breeding. During sixteenth century its improvement work was started in various countries. The gardens of Italy, France, Germany, Holland and England have contributed much to the development of cultivars. The natural climates for carnation occur near 30^o N or S latitudes of equator and on the western edges of the continents.

Modern rose (Rosa x hybrida) belongs to family Rosaceae. Rose is derived from Greek word “Rhedon” means fragrance. From the ancient time its beauty and attractiveness drag the attention of breeders to create new colours and types. Present cut roses are complex hybrids developed through interspecific hybridization, polyploidy with male and female sterility and these heterozygous genotypes are propagated vegetatively. Rose occupies the first rank among the cut flowers in international market and in India it occupied first position in cut flower export trade.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Roses have been in cultivation since the origins of civilization (Wylie, 1955). The evidence of rose cultivation is found about 5000 years ago in ancient civilization of China, western Asia and northern Africa (Shepherd, 1954). About 120 known wild species, all indigenous to temperate regions of northern hemisphere have been reported to be growing. Eleven species are reported to be growing wild in India. Among the rose species used for perfume extraction purpose Rosa alba originated perhaps in Crimea in Russia, R. borboniana originated in Isle of Reumon in 1817, R. centifolia is native to eastern Caucasus and is under cultivation since 1596. Original home of R. damascena is unknown and it was introduced to Europe from Damascus in Asia Minor during the sixteenth century. R. moschata is native to Middle East and Himalayas and is found at altitudes ranging from 1000 to 4700 meters extending from Europe. The Persian Musk, one of the forms of R. moschata is very common in India. It was introduced into England in 1599. Rosa gallica, known as French rose is native to central and southeast Europe and is in cultivation prior to 1542.

Significant information about roses in antiquity can be seen in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus (490-420 B.C.), the Greek philosopher Theophrastus (372-287 B.C.) and the Roman naturalist Pliny (23-79 A.D.).

Originally all roses grew wild. About 120 known wild species of roses, all indigenous to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, have been reported. The species growing wild in India are Rosa brunonii (Himalayan Musk rose), R. eglanteria, R. gigantea (syn. R. odorata var. gigantean), R. involucrate (syn. R. clinophylla), R. leschenaultiana syn. R. sempervirens, R. longicuspis, R. macrophylla, R. moschata (Musk rose), R. rubiginosa (Sweet Briar, Eglantine rose), R. walpoleana, R. sericea (Ladakh rose). Till the nineteenth century only four species, R. gallica (Red rose), R. canina (Dog rose), R. moschata (Musk rose) and R. phoenicia (Phoenician rose) played a role in the development of cultivars grown at that time.

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum Mill.), belonging to family Primulaceae, is cultivated throughout the Temperate Zone. Many people have enjoyed the charming plants as potted and/or garden plants. The cyclamen is one of the most famous and important commercial ornamental plants in many countries. It is commonly grown for its flowers, both outdoors and indoors in pots. It is used on a terrace, in flower boxes, in hanging baskets or in beddings. Several species, particularly Cyclamen hederifolium, are hardy and can be grown outdoors in mild climates such as Northwest Europe and the Pacific Northwest of North America. The cyclamen commonly sold by florists is C. persicum, which is frost-tender. Selected cyclamen cultivars can have white, bright pink, red or purple flowers. The use as cut flower is not important part of cyclamen production (Grey-Wilson, 2002), but not rare in Europe, especially in Germany. Some cultivars for cut flower production were bred in Europe, but cut flower cyclamen production is not popular in USA and Japan. Its popularity as pot plant led to many studies on the group, including cytology (Bennett and Grimshaw, 1991), hybridization (Gielly et al., 2001 and Grey-Wilson, 2002) and phenology (Debussche et al., 2004).

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Cyclamen originated from extreme eastern Mediterranean region and naturally grows in countries such as Palestine, Syria, Israel, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia or even Mediterranean islands: Rhodes, Cyprus and Sicily (Grey-Wilson, 2002). Cyclamen was introduced in Europe at the end 16^th century, beginning of the 17^th century, passing first through France. Somewhat neglected in the following century, the cyclamen became fashionable again in France in the 1900s. But since 1860, the first variants of the botanical or “wild” cyclamen appeared in England, then in Germany, with much bigger flowers and with varying colour shades.

Since floricultural and ornamental crops are grown for aesthetic purpose and are non-edible there is likely to be less concern in bio safety issues compared to other food crops. Hence there is considerable potential for developing transgenics in ornamental crops. Advances in transgenic technology provide new opportunities for manipulation of the genome. These will have significant impact on expanding and diversifying the gene pool of crop plants, introducing specific genes and shortening the time required for the production of new varieties or hybrids. Molecular breeding is beneficial to increase the production and quality by creating plants with enhanced resistance to diseases, insects or viruses and increased tolerance to environmental stresses like salinity, temperature or drought. Through this technique genes for shelf life, flower colour and architecture may be directly transferred to develop new varieties that are tailor made to customer preferences. Bioluminescent orchids and blue roses are the significant outcomes of the genetic transformation studies in ornamentals (Swarnapiria, 2009).

GENETIC ENGINEERING VS. TRADITIONAL BREEDING

Breeding with transgenic plants is only justified when genetic variation within the primary and secondary gene pools of a species is too small or gene transfer by conventional techniques is difficult and time-consuming. There are a number of different means for increasing or even creating new genetic variation, like species hybridization, mutation induction and protoplast fusion, which have been frequently used to breed new varieties. It is worth mentioning that neither plant cultivation nor commercialization of commodities has any legal requirements and a public discussion about these plants is also lacking. Therefore, a breeder must carefully assess the different constraints of transgenic breeding before starting a breeding program which are the legal aspects and acceptance by farmers, consumers and stakeholders (Jung, 2010).

1. Algal Biomass

Algae is defined as heterogeneous assemblage of organisms that range in size from tiny cells to giant seaweeds, thus algae mostly are photosynthetic species which include eukaryotes and prokaryotic Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and live in aquatic habitats. They are ubiquitous in nature and are found in variety of environments ranging from soil, sand, marshes, brackish water, sea and fresh water. Most of them are capable of manufacturing their own food.

Microalgal research is offering wide potential in food biotechnology and is gaining more attention because of presence of wide range of bioactive and nutraceutical properties and added health benefits.The increasing population is one of the major growing concerns of today’s world. To meet the nutritional requirement of the rising population, researchers are looking for optional sources for food which are easy to cultivate, cost effective and produce large amount of bioactive compounds useful to prevent major diseases. Chlorella is unicellular green alga that is a potential source of nutrients like carotenoids, minerals, vitamins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Especially, omega-3 fatty acid and carotenoids have received considerable interests due to their roles in the prevention of chronic diseases. Lutein and zeaxanthin from Chlorella have been shown to be associated with eye health and function. Beta-carotene is known to reduce the risk of CVDs and certain cancers. Animal studies also demonstrated that Chlorella supplementation reduced the serum cholesterol levels.

Similarly, the blue green microalgae Spirulina, possesses diverse biological activities and nutritional significance. Regular consumption of Spirulina fortified food improves immune system by increasing phagocytic activity of macrophages, stimulating the production of antibodies and cytokines, increase accumulation of NK cells into tissue and activation and mobilization of T and B cells. Spirulina have also shown to perform regulatory role on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism by exhibiting glucose and lipid profile correcting activity in experimental animals and in diabetic patients. They were also found to be active against several enveloped viruses including herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza virus and HIV. They are capable to inhibit carcinogenesis due to antioxidant properties.

Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica)

Introduction

The fruit of tamarind a pod 5 to 15 cm long, 3 to 10 seeds surrounded with edible pulp which is principal souring agent for sauces, chutney, in beverages and in general cooking. Pulp is carminative, laxative, given as infusion in biliousness and febrile conditions. It is also used in dyring and tanning and for polishing and cleaning metal ware. The tartaric acid is extracted from unripe fruits. The polysaccharide (jellose) is extracted from seeds, which is used as a sizing material in the cotton and jute industries. Besides, polyose obtained from the seed is good substitute for fruit pectin in the preparation of jam, jelly or marmalade. The bark and leaves are used for tanning. Tamarind balls are prepared after taking out seeds from the fruit. Tamarind paste and tamarind juice concentrate are the other commercial products.

The fruits, flattish, bean-like, irregulary curved and bulged pods, are born in great abundance along the new branches and usually vary from 2 to 7 in long and from 3/4 to 1 1/4 in (2-3.2 cm) in diameter. Exceptionally large tamarinds have been found on individual trees. The pods may be cinnamon-brown or grayish-brown externally and, at first, are tender-skinned with green, highly acid flesh and soft, whitish, under-developed seeds. As they mature, the pods fill out somewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or reddish-brown.

1. INTRODUCTION

The paradigm of world’s livelihood is built on the basic foundation of natural resources which includes humans, plants, animals, soils and minerals, water and air. But the very livelihood of these resources are at stake because they are strongly linked and dependant on each other. And to add, the material resource namely ‘economy’ has invaded the tranquil habitat and life of the community of natural resources. Thus the present crisis is challenging livelihood of each of these natural resources whether it is human, plant or water or earth and the element of economy is interfering with the natural recourse of human depending on water and soil; and human, plant, animal together are depending on soil, water and air. But when the livelihood of soil, water and air is at stake how human, plant and animal can survive; hence the design of livelihood of world has the essential ingredients of all natural resources.

We humans are selfish and concerned about our livelihood security only and try to over-exploit other natural resources and assumed themselves as the master of all natural resources. Practically, there is war going on between and among natural resources. The world could be better if each natural resource has its own right with prospects to safeguard its livelihood and all resources together with better livelihood could offer the lively world.

2. UTILIZATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

We should underscore that none of the natural resources are in ‘plenty’ and that we should ‘economize’ on each natural resource to build together the world’s livelihood. The food security of humans can not be attained without plants and plant security can nor be achieved without soil and water and it is impossible to keep secured soil and water without economics of management.

In short, the livelihood security of humans is entirely dependant on all other natural resources coupled with the material resource economy. It is incumbent on us to initiate appropriate steps from gross root to policy levels to make the world better.

Temperate horticulture in Himalayan States forms the backbone of states economy by providing livelihood to more than 10 million people and draws about 60% of its Gross Domestic product (GDP) from the surrounding ecological resources. Being an important sector it has been given priority in recent years through various developmental programmes to harness the vast potential of natural resources, the topography, soil, climate and horticulture crop diversity. The outburst in climate and over population have become a major concern challenging natural resources of the Himalayan region for sustainable development of agriculture and improving livelihood of the local inhabitants. Depleting natural resources and vagaries of weather are negatively affecting long-term sustainability of Himalayan agri-horti production system. In spite of several chal-lenges the horticulture in temperate region has made some progress. The area, production productivity, availability and export of horticulture products have increased manifolds leading to improvement in employment and farm income. But still the temperate fruit industry is far behind and is facing the problem of low productivity and high cost production due to lack of elite planting material, old and senile orchards, rainfed farming, lack of efficient water, nutrient and canopy management, high infestation of insect and pests, poor transport and communication coupled with weak post harvest infrastructure. The modern new high yielding varieties and technological interventions developed especially the high density plantations; canopy & pollination management; fertigation, INM and water harvesting; cost effective and eco-friendly protection technologies and post harvest management and value addition have shown great potential to revolutionize the horticulture sector to bring paradigm shift from existing low quality lower productivity sector to high quality-higher productivity sector. The farmers have an opportunity and can take the advantage of emerging technologies in temperate horticulture to improve their nutritional and livelihood security.

Northwestern Himalayan region is spread between 28°43^'-37°05^'N latitude and 72° 40^'-81°02^' E longitude covering an approximate area of 33 million ha. The major natural resources of western Himalayas are water, forests, floral, and faunal biodiversity. Although there is wide spectrum of farming systems diversity in the region, yet there are quite a few commonalities viz. crop diversity, including mixed cropping as well as crop rotation of subsistence nature rather than commercial nature of agriculture, maintenance of soil fertility through natural processes. The variability in agroclimatic conditions in the hilly regions of India due to geographical location and climatic conditions require micro planning for assuring sustainable agricultural production. Introduction of horticultural crops is more recent phenomenon and it has penetrated the traditional farming systems of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and central Himalayan region for commercial benefits than the local consumption. Climatic conditions are optimal for growth of many food, medicinal and other commercial crops and live stock occur in these hills and the need is to exploit these opportunities for economic upliftment of the region, without degradation of natural resource base, therefore a long term development approach for sustainable farming system in these hills must have an eye on conservation farming for developing various production systems since this is a highly fragile system. The agriculture including livestock continues to be the dominant sector despite the fact that the area is exposed to adverse and harsh geophysical and agri-silviculture conditions. Strategies by planting fodder trees or grasses in the waste/ degraded lands (representing 7.9, 9.8 and 11.5% of the geographical area in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, respectively), is needed for enhancing the fodder production. In addition, farm spaces on terrace risers and improved crop production technology coupled with integration of agroforestry will help in bridging the gap between demand and supply of the fodder. The indigenous agroforestry systems such as homestead (kyaroo), plantation crop combinations, scattered trees on farm lands/field bunds and bamboo grove are practiced by the farming community. The land management operations are predominated by different indigenous agroforestry practices which have proven potential and hold promise in alleviating the poverty among rural masses of this hilly region. The agroforestry systems provide unique opportunity for integration of different components in the farming systems, which help to optimize the ecosystem functioning and better management of land, water, and biological resources. These systems need to be further improved with suitable technological interventions considering the local population need, so that the socioeconomic status of the farming communities uplifted. Experiences gained in managing natural resources through well-tested agroforestry systems have been shared in this chapter.

    1.    Life blood of food companies are
        a)    Existing products    b)    New Products
        c)     New packaging material    d)     Food technologists
    2.    New Products are developed to meet
        a)    Health & Nutritional requirements
        b)    Environmental & Social requirements
        c)     Convenience & handling
        d)     All
    3.    What are the characteristics of a line extension in a variant of an established line of food products 
        a)    Little research    
        b)    Minimum manufacturing changes
        c)     No change in logistics and supply chain
        d)     All
    4.    The following one is not a characteristic of new product development through line extension
        a)    New purchasing skills
        b)    No change in logistics and supply chain
        c)     No change in storage of RM &PM
        d)     Minimum R&D

Globally, agriculture productivity is challenged by abiotic and biotic stresses, but abiotic stresses in particular (Gong et al., 2013) affect spreading of plant species across different environmental zones (Chaves et al., 2003). The changing climate is expected to worsen abiotic factors globally and adaptation strategies need to be established for target crops to specific environments (Beebe et al., 2011). Connect between different stress factors will likely surge harm to crop yields (Beebe, 2012). Soil salinity is a major environmental constraint to agricultural productivity (Greenway and Munns, 1980; Rhoades and Loveday, 1990). High concentrations of different types of salts, including chlorides, carbonates, and sulfates of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium, characterize different saline soil areas around the world. Moreover, for each type of naturally occurring salinity, constantly changing environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, as well as agricultural practices cause rapid modifications in levels of salinity and salt distribution patterns. Sodium and chloride are the predominant ions in the vast majority of saline areas.

During evolution, various species of plants, known as halophytes, readapted to life in high-salinity environments, but a large majority of plant species grown in non-saline areas are salt-sensitive (referred to as glycophytes). These glycophytic plants, including the majority of crop species, differ greatly in their tolerance to salt stress (Greenway and Munns, 1980; Flowers and Colmer, 2008).

Food productivity is decreasing due to detrimental effects of various biotic and abiotic stresses; therefore minimizing these losses is a major area of concern to ensure food security under changing climate. Environmental abiotic stresses, such as drought, extreme temperature, cold, heavy metals, or high salinity, severely impair plant growth and productivity worldwide. Drought, being the most important environmental stress, severely impairs plant growth and development, limits plant production and the performance of crop plants, more than any other environmental factor (Shao et al., 2009). Plant experiences drought stress either when the water supply to roots becomes difficult or when the transpiration rate becomes very high. Available water resources for successful crop production have been decreasing in recent years. Furthermore, in view of various climatic change models scientists suggested that in many regions of world, crop losses due to increasing water shortage will further aggravate its impacts. Drought impacts include growth, yield, membrane integrity, pigment content, osmotic adjustment water relations, and photosynthetic activity (Praba et al., 2009). Drought stress is affected by climatic, edaphic and agronomic factors. The susceptibility of plants to drought stress varies in dependence of stress degree, different accompanying stress factors, plant species, and their developmental stages. Acclimation of plants to water deficit is the result of different events, which lead to adaptive changes in plant growth and physio-biochemical processes, such as changes in plant structure, growth rate, tissue osmotic potential and antioxidant defenses (Duan et al., 2007 and Shakeel et al., 2011).